Retractable roof panel

ABSTRACT

A vehicle is provided that includes a roof with a roof opening and a rear body portion with a rear opening. Spaced apart guide rails are supported on an exterior surface of the roof. A retractable roof panel is supported on the guide rails by guide members that move along the guide rails along a path. The roof opening and the roof panel extend to the rearward end where the roof panel defines a rear header. The retractable roof panel may be driven from a closed positioned forward to an open position where the roof panel is adjacent to the exterior surface of the roof. The rear gate assembly, which is arranged in the rear opening, may be opened to provide access to the rear cargo area of the vehicle. With the rear gate assembly and retractable roof panel open, large items may be slid into the cargo area and may extend above the plane of the roof.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/877,404 filedJun. 25, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,382 which is a continuation ofU.S. Ser. No. 10/316,527 filed Dec. 11, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No.6,860,549 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/989,361 filed Nov. 20, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,528, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/876,519,filed Jun. 7, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,335 and also claims priorityto Provisional Application No. 60/252,238, filed Nov. 20, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a roof assembly for a vehicle, and moreparticularly, the invention relates to a retractable roof panel thatincludes the rear header of the vehicle for providing improved access tothe rear cargo area of the vehicle when the roof panel is retracted.

Sunroofs are desireable features to many vehicle customers. Sunroofs aretypically arranged in an area above the driver and front passengerseats. The sunroof maybe be retracted to expose the interior of thevehicle to the environment and permit air and light to enter thevehicle. Typically, the opening for the sunroof is relatively small, andsunroofs have not been used to provide increased access to the interiorof the vehicle. They have simply been used to provide a more pleasantdriving experience to the vehicle occupants.

Once sunroofs are moved from the closed position to an open position,the sunroof is typically stowed in a area between the interior of theroof structure and an interior trim headliner. That is, the sunroof isstowed using the interior space of the vehicle such that it impingesupon the passenger's headroom. The larger the vehicle sunroof, the moreproblematic it may become to stow the sunroof. Significant vehicledesign changes may be required to maintain occupant headroom. As aresult, it is desireable to stow a sunroof in the open position in sucha manner that interior space is not reduced.

Prior art sunroof assemblies have utilized rails located on the exteriorof the roof for storing the sunroof outside of the vehicle. These priorart assemblies have incorporated a roller assembly received in a guidetrack in the rails. However, the rails lack means to keep debris fromentering the guide tracks and inhibiting the operation of the rollerassemblies. Even without debris inhibiting the proper operation of thesunroof, the large size of the sunroof makes it difficult for thesunroof to move desirably within the rails without binding.

Therefore, what is needed is a sunroof that does not impinge uponpassenger headroom or reduce the interior space in the vehicle.Furthermore, what is needed is a sunroof that provides increased accessto the cargo area within the vehicle such that loading and unloading ofthe vehicle is simplified and larger cargo items may be placed insidethe vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES

The present invention provides a vehicle having a roof with a roofopening and a rear body portion with a rear opening. Spaced apart guiderails are supported on an exterior surface of the roof. A retractableroof panel is supported on the guide rails by guide members that movealong the guide rails along a path. The roof opening and the roof panelextend to the rearward end where the roof panel defines a rear header.The retractable roof panel may be driven from a closed position forwardto an open position where the roof panel is adjacent to the exteriorsurface of the roof. The rear gate assembly, which is arranged in therear opening, may be opened to provide access to the rear cargo area ofthe vehicle. With the rear gate assembly and retractable roof panelopen, large items may be slid into the cargo area and may extend abovethe plane of the roof.

The guide members move along a path defined by the guide rails. Theguide member includes a roller assembly received within a channel ineach of the guide rails and a bracket connected to the roller assemblysupporting a drive cable. A bracket as supported on the roller assemblyand is rotatable relative thereto. The roller assembly includes a flangeand the bracket includes a stop of the flange engaging the stop causingthe roller assembly and brackets to rotate together. As the rollerassembly and its two lower rollers travel along the longitudinal guiderail into the curved portion of the support members connecting the railsto the roof, the roller assembly forces the bracket to rotate with it,which bends the drive cable to prevent it from binding within thesupport member and rails. The roller assembly may also include a rollerbiased in an upper direction against a ceiling of the guide rail tovertically locate the sunroof as it moves along the rail and reducenoise and vibration. Seals may be used in the guide rail to seal thedrive cable and any wires in a compartment away from debris.

Accordingly, the above invention provides a sunroof that does notimpinge upon passenger headroom or reduce the interior space in thevehicle. Furthermore, a sunroof is provided that increases access to thecargo area within the vehicle such that loading and unloading of thevehicle is simplified and larger cargo items may be placed inside thevehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the present invention can be understood by referenceto the following detailed description when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the present invention vehicle withthe rear window partially open;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the present invention vehicle withthe window partially open and the rear gate assembly pivoted upward toan open position;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the present invention vehicle withthe tailgate of the rear gate assembly pivoted downward;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the present invention retractableroof in a closed position;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the present invention retractableroof in an open position;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the present invention roofassembly;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a guide member and guide railwith front roller mechanism;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the guide rail and guide member shown inFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the guide member roller mechanism;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the guide member bracket assembly;

FIG. 11 a is a cross-sectional view of roof panel in the closedposition;

FIG. 11 b is a cross-sectional view of the roof panel in a partiallyopen position;

FIG. 11 c is a cross-sectional view of the roof panel moving toward theopen position;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a rear guide member;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention guide memberin the rail;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the inside of the guide memberpartially disposed in the rail;

FIG. 15 is a perspective side view of the guide member and rail shown inFIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the outside of the guide member andrail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A vehicle 10 utilizing the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1–3. Thevehicle 10 shown has a four-door body 12 that includes A, B, C, Dpillars. The body 12 has a roof 14 that includes the present inventionretractable roof panel 16. The roof panel 16 has a rear header 17, whichmay commonly be referred to as a D pillar header for the four-doorvehicle shown. A wiper 19 may be mounted to the rear header 17.

A rear body portion 18 defines a rear opening 20. A rear gate assembly22 is mounted on the rear body portion 18 to enclose the rear opening20. The gate assembly 22 may include a frame 28 supporting a lower bodyor tail gate 26 and a window 24. However, it is to be understood thatany arrangement may be used for the rear gate assembly 22. As shown inFIG. 1, the window 24 may be lowered from an upper boundary 21 definedby the rear header 17 into the lower body 26 to provide partial accessto the cargo area 30 or for manipulating the roof panel 16 duringopening and closing. As shown in FIG. 2, the window and tailgate 26 maymove pivotally upward with the frame 28 to act as a lift gate. Forconfigurations in which the wiper 19 is mounted to the rear header 17,the window 24 may be partially opened to ensure clearance of the wiper19. As shown in FIG. 3, the frame 28 may remain secured to the rear bodyportion 18 to manipulate the tail gate 26. The window 24 may be loweredinto the tail gate 26, and the tail gate may be rotated downward topermit access to the cargo area 30 of the interior cabin so that objectsmay be easily slid into the rear of the vehicle. It can be appreciatedthat the present invention vehicle, as shown in FIGS. 1–3, functions topermit cargo of a relatively limited height to be stored in the cargoarea 30 of the vehicle 10.

Referring to FIGS. 4–6, the roof 14 may be provided by a roof assembly36 that may be secured to the rest of the vehicle body during assemblyof the vehicle 10. The roof assembly 36 may include all of the featuresdiscussed below in addition to other features and interior trim such ashead liner and dome lights, etc. The roof assembly 36 includes the roof14 that defines a generally U-shaped roof opening 37, best seen in FIG.5. The roof panel 16 is a rigid unitary structure that is preferablyconstructed from a fiber reinforced polymer material. The roof 14 mayalso be a fiber reinforced polymer material or may be stamped steel. Theroof assembly 36 has a perimeter 39 of which the rear header 17 definesthe rearward end 54 of the perimeter 39. The roof 14 includes guiderails 40 that define a path of the roof panel 16. The guide rails 40 aremounted to the exterior surface 38 of the roof 14. The guide railsinclude longitudinal members 42 that are secured to the roof 14 bysupport members 44. Luggage racks 48 may be arranged laterally betweenthe guide rails 40.

A wind deflector 46 may be arranged at a forward end 47 of the roof 14to direct wind over the roof panel 16 when the roof panel 16 is in theopen position, as shown in FIG. 5. A motor 50 may be mounted on theexterior surface 38 of the roof 14 beneath the wind deflector 46. Drivecables 52 may be coupled to a portion of the roof panel 16 and connectedto the motor 50 driving the roof panel 16 between the closed position(shown in FIG. 4) and the open position (shown in FIG. 5). The cables 52may have a helical outer member typical of the type used in sunroofs.

The roof panel 16 of the present invention is stowed on the outside ofthe vehicle 10 adjacent to the exterior surface 38. The forward portion49 of the roof panel 16 may be arranged partially under the winddeflector 46 with the roof panel 16 beneath the luggage racks 48. Unliketypical sunroof assemblies, the present invention roof panel 16 movesfrom the rearward end 54 of the vehicle to the forward end 47 of thevehicle. Additionally, the roof panel 16 includes the rear header 17such that when the roof panel 16 is moved to the open position and therear gate assembly 22 is moved to the open position very large itemsthat may extend beyond the plane of the roof 14 may be placed easilyinto the cargo area 30.

Referring to FIG. 6, the roof panel 16 is shown supporting the forwardportion 49 in the guide rails 40 by guide members 60. Rear guide member62 support the rear of the roof panel 16 on the roof 14, which will bediscussed in more detail below. The forward portion of the roof opening37 includes a first wall portion 64. The forward portion 49 of the roofpanel 16 includes a second wall portion 65 that is adjacent to the firstwall portion 64 when the roof panel 16 is in the closed position. Alatch assembly 66 is mounted underneath the wall portions 64 and 65. Thelatch may be arranged in any suitable location. The latch assembly 66locks the roof panel 16 to the roof 14 when the roof is in the closedposition. Preferably, two spaced apart latch assembly 66 are used toreduce the stress on the roof panel 16.

Referring to FIGS. 7–9, the forward guide members 60 are received withinthe center support members 44. The guide members 60 travel along a pathin the longitudinal members 42 and support members 44 defined by achannel 74. For the embodiment shown, the rear longitudinal members 42are for aesthetics and do not support the roof panel 16. As shown inFIG. 8, the support member 44 includes a pocket 70 received in a recessin the roof 14 (not shown) and sealed thereto by a gasket 72. As theroof panel 16 moves from the closed position to the open position theguide members 60 travel up along the channel 74 defined in the supportmember 44 to raise the forward portion 49 of the roof panel 16. Thelongitudinal 42 and support 44 members are secured to one another usinga tongue 76 and groove 78 arrangement and fasteners (now shown). Thedrive cables 68 and wires 69 may be routed through the channel 74 andcarried by a portion of the guide member 60. The wires may be routed toa rear brake light and/or the wiper 19.

Referring to FIG. 9, a guide member 60 includes a cage 80 that carries apair of first rollers 82 rotatable about horizontal axles and secondrollers 84 rotatable about vertical axes. The first rollers 82 carry theload of the roof panel 16 on the bottom of the channel 74. The secondrollers 84 may ride a long a side of the channel 74 to take up anylateral clearance and guide the roof in the tracks as it moves betweenthe open and closed positions. However, it is to be understood that anynumber and configuration of rollers may be used. The cage 80 includes alateral member 86 that extends from the cage 80 to a block 88 that issecured to the roof panel 19. The lateral member 86 may include a damperto further minimize roof panel vibrations.

A bracket 90 having a generally vertical elongated aperture 92 isarranged between the cage 80 and the roof panel 16 with the lateralmember 86 disposed within the aperture 92. The aperture 92 permits therollers 82 and 84 and cage 80 to move upward if the first rollers 82must travel over debris trapped on the bottom of the channel 74. Abiasing member 94 or spring normally urges the lateral member 86downward in the aperture 92. Opposing ends 95 of the spring 94 areretained with retaining pockets 97. The drive cable 68 and wires 69 maybe respectively mounted on cable 96 and wire 98 mounts secured to thebracket 90. The motor 50 pulls the roof panel 16 forward to the openposition. The roof panel 16 is closed by pushing it and lowering itunder the force of its own weight.

A rear guide member 62 is beat shown in FIGS. 11 a–11 c and 12. Unlikethe forward guide member 60, the rear guide members 62 do not ridewithin the guide rails 40. However, it is to be understood that the rearguide member 62 may be configured such tat they do ride within the guiderails 40 similar to the guide members 60. The rear guide member 62 ridesalong a rear aperture, which may defined by the roof assembly 36 oranother portion of the vehicle 10, and a drain trough 106 which isdefined by a channel arranged about the perimeter roof opening 37, whichis best shown in FIG. 12. The rear guide member 62 includes a bracket108 secured to the roof panel 16. The bracket 108 pivotally supports anarm 110 having rollers 112. A spring 114 biases the arm 110 forward awayfrom the rear header 17. Referring to FIG. 11 a, the roof panel 16 isshow in a closed and locked position in which the arm 110 is tiltedrearward with a roller 112 received in a recess 118 in the rear aperture104. In this position, the rear of the roof panel 16 cannot be lifteduntil the roof panel is moved forward. As the roof panel 16 is movedforward, as shown in FIG. 11 b, the arm 110 rotates forward. The spring114 urges the arm 110 to unseat one of the rollers 112 from the recess118. As the roof panel 16 continues to move forward, as shown in FIG. 11c, the rollers 112 move along the drain though 106. The rear guidemember 62 configuration provides enough lift to the rear of the roofpanel 16 such that the roof panel 16 may clear the exterior surface 38of the roof 14 when in the fully opened position.

In operation, the rear gate assembly 22 may be manipulated as describedin relation to FIGS. 1–3 above to permit access to the cargo area 30.However, when increased access to the cargo area 30 is desired, forexample for cargo items having a height that exceeds the plane of theroof 14, the roof panel 16 may be retracted. To retract the roof panel16, the latch assembly 66 must be actuated to unlock the forward portion49 of the roof panel 16 from the roof 14. The forward guide member 60will begin to move up the channel 74 in the support member 44, and therear guide member 62 will rotate forward such that one of the rollers112 moves out of engagement with the recess 118. The forward guidemember 60 will move along the channels 74 within the longitudinal member42, and the rear guide member 62 and will move along the drain trough106. The forward portion 49 of the roof panel 16 will preferably bedisposed beneath wind deflector 46. Preferably when opening theretractable roof panel 16, the window 24 will be lowered into the lowerbody 26 to minimize the force on the window 24 when traveling along aroad with the retractable roof panel 16 in the open position.

FIGS. 13–16 are directed to improvements of the guide member 60 toprovide smoother operation of the roof assembly 36 as it moves along thetracks provided by the guide rails 40. The improved guide members 60reduces the noise and vibration typically associated with guide memberscarrying the large weight of the roof assembly in the rails. Referringto FIG. 13, the guide member 60 is shown arranged within a longitudinalmember 42 of the guide rails 40. The guide member 60 includes a rollerassembly 81 carrying the weight of the roof assembly 36 within the guiderails 40 and a bracket 90 supported by the roller assembly 81 fortransmitting the drive from the drive motor to the roller assembly 81for moving the roof assembly between the open and closed positions. Thebracket 90 is disposed within the channel 74 and has cable 96 and wiremounts secured to the bracket 90 by fasteners 99. The channel 74includes a seal assembly 120 providing a seal compartment 122 enclosingthe cable 96 and wire 98 mounts respectively carrying the drive cableand wires from debris.

A wall 124 separates the channel 74 from a second channel 126. Theroller assembly 81 is disposed within the second channel 126. Elongatedslots 128 are arranged in the channels 74 for receiving opposing seals130 that meet one another at a boundary 132. The seals 130 meet oneanother at the boundary 132 but separate from one another to accommodatethe bracket 90 as it moves along the rail 40. The cable 96 and wire 98mounts have ends that are received within elongated grooves 134. Theelongated grooves 134 guide the cable and wire as it moves within a railspecifically, the elongated grooves 134 are necessary to prevent thecable from buckling as the drive motor drives the cable to push the roofassembly to the closed position.

Referring to FIGS. 13–15, two lower rollers having a horizontal axis ofrotation are supported by the cage 80 of the rollier assembly 81 on afloor 136 of the rail 40. Upper rollers 84 having a vertical axis ofrotation engage the surface of the wall 124 and may be biased againstthe wall 134 by a spring mechanism in the lateral member 86. The roofassembly is stabilized by a roller 140 that is biased in the upperdirection against a ceiling 138 of the rail 40. The roller 140 issupported on an arm 142 pivotally attached to the cage 80. A spring 144,which is schematically shown in the figures, urges the arm 142 androller 140 upward. The spring 144 may be a torsional spring or anysuitable spring mechanism known in the art.

As discussed above, it is desirable to utilize elongated grooves 134 toguide the drive cable as it pushes the roof assembly. However, the guidemember 60 must travel along an arcuate portion in the support members 44(best shown in FIG. 8) as the roof assembly moves upward and downward inclosed positions. However, the cable does not want to bend in theelongated grooves 134 and the support members 44 as the roller assembly81 moves along the arcuate portion 146. The present invention couplesthe bracket 90 to the roller assembly 81 in such a manner that thebracket 90 turns with the roller assembly 81 to bend the cable withinthe curved elongated grooves 134 so that it does not bind within thegrooves or excessively wear. However, the present invention guide memberalso is designed such that the roller assembly 81 can move over debriswithin the rail 40 without undesirably rotating the bracket 90 wasmoving along a straight groove.

Referring to FIGS. 14–16, the roller assembly 81 includes a variablyopposing flanges 148 adjacent to the bracket 90. The bracket 90 includesspaced apart upper and lower stops 150 on each side of the bracket 90. Aflange 148 is arranged between each pair of stops 150 and provides a gap152 preferably between the flange and the upper stop to permit upwardmotion of the roller assembly 81 as it travels over debris on the floor136 of the rail 40. The gap permits slight relative rotation between theroller assembly 81 and the bracket 90, approximately 3°. The rollerassembly 81 includes a protruding member 154, which may be part of thelateral member 86, with a bearing 156 disposed about the protrudingmember 154. The bearing 156 is arranged within the aperture 92 and thebracket 90. As the roller assembly 81 travels along the arcuate portion146. The flange 148 will engage the stop 150 and force the bracket 90along with the mounts 96 and 98 to rotate with the roller assembly 81thereby forcing the drive cable to bend as it moves down the arcuateportion 146. In this manner, wear caused by the drive cable and cablemounts 96 and 98 within the curved elongated grooves 134 in the supportmembers 44 is avoided.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is tobe understood that the terminology that has been used is intended to bein the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Thevehicle 10 includes electronic hardware, software, and actuatorstypically available. The sequence used to open and close the roof panel16 may be programmed and initiated by operation of a switch. Obviously,many modifications and variations of the present invention are possiblein light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood thatwithin the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described.

1. A roof assembly for a vehicle comprising: a roof having a roofopening extending to a rear of the roof, the roof having an exteriorsurface and forward and rearward ends and a trough extending below theexterior surface on at least one side of the roof opening defining apath; a first guide member received in the trough and movable along thepath; and a retractable roof panel with a portion supported by the firstguide member and movable along the path, wherein in an open roofposition at least a portion of the retractable roof panel extends aboveat least a portion of the roof's exterior surface.
 2. The roof assemblyof claim 1 wherein in a closed roof position the roof panel is disposedwithin the roof opening, the roof panel defining a rear header at therearward end with the rear header moving toward the forward end whenmoving between a closed roof position and the open roof position.
 3. Theroof assembly of claim 1 further comprising spaced apart guide railssupported by the exterior surface.
 4. The roof assembly of claim 3further comprising a second guide member received in at least one of theguide rails and movable along the at least one guide rail, a portion ofthe retractable roof panel operatively connected to the second guidemember.
 5. A roof assembly for a vehicle comprising: a roof having aroof opening extending to a rear of the roof, the roof having anexterior surface and forward and rearward ends; a channel extendingbelow the exterior surface on at least one side of the roof openingdefining a path; a first guide member, at least a portion of the firstguide member received in the channel and movable along the path; and aretractable roof panel with a portion supported by the first guidemember and movable along the path, wherein in a fully open position theretractable roof panel extends above at least a portion of a driver andfront passenger section of the vehicle.
 6. The roof assembly of claim 5,comprising a guide rail extending above the exterior surface.
 7. A roofassembly for a vehicle comprising: an exterior surface having fore andaft ends and an opening extending to a rear of the covering means; afirst guiding means extending below the exterior surface and defining afirst path; a second guiding means extending above the exterior surfaceand defining a second path; and a retractable panel having a portionsupported by the first and second guiding means, and movable along thefirst and second paths, wherein in a fully open position the retractableroof panel extends above at least a portion of a driver and frontpassenger section of the vehicle.
 8. A method of moving a retractableroof panel comprising the steps of: a) rotating a first guide having afirst and second roller supporting the retractable roof panel from alocked position to an unlocked position by driving a cable forward; b)moving the first guide along a first path from the unlocked position;and c) moving a second guide having a third roller supporting theretractable roof panel along a second path, with step c) simultaneouslyperformed with step b) to move the retractable roof panel forward from aclose position to an open position, the first and second rollersvertically spaced from the third roller in a non-planar relationship inthe open position.
 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein step b)includes moving the first guide along a first channel that provides thefirst path.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein step a)includes rotating the first guide out of engagement with a recess in thefirst channel.
 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the firstguide includes an arm supporting at least two rollers, and step a)includes rotating the first guide about a first pivot point providedbetween the first guide and retractable roof panel, the first pivotpoint spaced from the at least two rollers, step a) including rotatingthe first guide about a second pivot point provided between the firstguide and the first path, the second pivot point provided by one of theat least two rollers.
 12. The method according to claim 8, wherein stepa) is performed in response to actuating a drive element.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 8, wherein step a) includes moving the retractableroof panel vertically.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein arear of the retractable roof panel engages a rear window in the lockedposition, the retractable roof panel spaced from the rear window inresponse to performing step a).
 15. The method according to claim 8,wherein step a) includes driving the cable toward a wind deflectorarranged at a forward end of a vehicle.
 16. The method according toclaim 8, wherein forward is defined as a position of a wind deflector.